Research Psychologist Review

by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.1/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    3.1
  • The Culture
    1.3

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • The work was varied and I enjoyed being able to apply the skills I had learnt during my course to real psychological research which could benefit someone.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • All of my colleagues were lovely and were very willing to give me help and guidance. Also, if I found another project interesting that I was not already working on, I was able to complete some work on it; this allowed me to gain experience in various areas of research psychology.

    5/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Managers were really supportive and were able to provide assistance if needed.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • The work varied from day-to-day. There were some really busy periods but some days I was bored.

    3/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was given the opportunity to provide my own input into a lot of reports. Most project managers liked being presented ideas from another perspective.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • My role allowed me to develop my research skills which will be crucial when conducting my dissertation project.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • The open planned office meant that everyone got to know each other really well.

    5/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • The placement was well structured but also had the flexibility for you to gain experience in areas which interested you.

    5/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • Money for training is usually set aside for permanent members of staff so the opportunity to go on courses and attend events was very rare. However, this varied depending on the department.

    1/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    International Travel

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • There are a lot of cutbacks within the organisation meaning that getting a graduate job in the role that I would like is unlikely.

    1/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • STEPS organise weekly events for the students to get to know each other and the group organised a Christmas party every year. The only problem was that my department was split across sites meaning that often the two could not socialise together.

    3/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Living costs in Salisbury are high and there is not really a student scene even though it is a small city meaning that going out can be costly. Porton does have a housing estate for students but you would need a car to get in and out of town as it is in the middle of nowhere.

    1/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Salisbury is a small town and it can be very boring on a night out as there are limited places to go.

    1/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • DSTL has many clubs and societies but outside of this there were very limited opportunities.

    2/5
    Report this review

Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Science

South West

October 2014

View More Reviews